India Tribune Newsdesk
The terminal lights at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, on October 25, glimmered coldly as 54 men from Haryana stepped out of Flight OAE-4767. Their wrists bore the faint marks of shackles, their eyes dulled by exhaustion and disbelief. They had set out chasing the promise of a better life — the dream of America — but returned in silence, deported and defeated.
Most of these men were between 25 and 40 years old, from districts like Karnal, Kaithal, Ambala, Kurukshetra, and Yamunanagar. They had followed what is infamously called the “donkey route,” a dangerous, illegal pathway that snakes through jungles, deserts, and borders from South America to the United States. It is a route of deceit and desperation, and for many, it ends in handcuffs instead of hope.
Among them was Harjinder Singh, a 45-year-old farmer from Ambala. His swollen feet told a story of pain that words could barely carry. “I was shackled for 25 hours on the flight,” he said, tears welling in his eyes. He had spent ₹35 lakh — his lifetime’s savings — to reach Jacksonville, Florida. There, he had finally begun to rebuild his life, working as a cook. But his dreams were short-lived. “Trump’s people caught me and sent me back. Everything I earned, everything I hoped for — all gone,” he murmured, clutching his tattered bag.
Harish from Karnal had gone through Canada on a work permit in 2023, believing the legal route would save him. But one small lapse — a visa overstay, a job beyond his permit — and he too was detained. Naresh Kumar from Kaithal sold his family’s land, borrowed money, and paid ₹57 lakh to an agent who promised him America. It took him two months of clandestine travel through jungles, smugglers’ camps, and ocean crossings to reach the US. He spent 14 months in an American detention center before being deported. “Don’t go this way,” he whispered, his voice trembling. “It’s not a route to a dream — it’s a route to ruin.”
For the families waiting back home, the return of their sons was bittersweet. They were relieved to see them alive, but crushed under the burden of lost fortunes. In the villages of Tikri, Pehowa, and Jagoli, stories of broken dreams spread like wildfire. Sadhu Singh, the sarpanch of Tikri, said one young man had traveled through Italy before being captured in the US and held for nearly a year. “They sold their land for a dream that doesn’t exist anymore,” he said.
Karnal DSP Sandeep Kumar confirmed that the men were handed back to their families after legal verification. “We have not received any complaint against agents yet,” he said. “But we urge people not to fall prey to such illegal routes.”
Under the Trump administration, deportations of illegal immigrants have surged.
The men who walked out of the airport that night had chased a mirage of prosperity, only to find themselves trapped in a nightmare of detention, debt, and despair. Their dreams of America ended not in freedom, but in chains — a haunting reminder of how far people will go when hope runs out at home.
The US has intensified deportations since President Donald Trump took office in January, targeting illegal migrants from countries including India, particularly Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat. As of August 2025, over 1,700 Indians — mostly from Haryana and Punjab — have been sent back.
